A new LET Performance Institute (LETPI) supported by The R&A was officially launched on Saturday at the AIG Women’s Open, in the presence of Olympic gold medallist Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill.
The LETPI was developed by the LET to empower athletes with the knowledge to achieve optimal health, allowing them to perform at their best in all aspects of life.
The new LETPI will make opportunities available to LET players to work with service providers in sports medicine, sports nutrition, strength and conditioning, health screening, research and development, with the aim to be a driving force in health and performance within elite women’s sport.
LET Director of Operations, Di Barnard, commented: “Today marks an important milestone in the on-going development of our player services. Our vision is to help optimise opportunity and performance for women in elite sport, in line with the leading men’s golf tours. This announcement emphasises our commitment to our players, who will benefit greatly from the enhanced opportunities.”
LET Chief Medical Officer Dr Danny Glover, commented: “As an organisation we really want to support our athletes. By bringing cutting edge technology and skilled practitioners to the Tour, we hope to make available to the players some useful tools which will help to elevate their performance and keep them in peak physical condition for the long-term.”
LET Head of Therapy Services, Philippa Stewart, commented: “We are fully committed to the players on the LET. With the LETPI, we can maximise that commitment by bringing different aspects of healthcare together. We pride ourselves on delivering first class therapy services for the players, to ensure that they stay injury free and experience optimal health and performance, which will benefit them through their golfing careers and beyond.”
In addition to the onsite infrastructure, the LET is developing relationships around the world with leading sports medicine, performance and women’s health providers providing a pathway for players to utilise when away from tournaments.
Working collaboratively with the LET, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and her leading hormonal health platform, Jennis, is conducting research and collecting data from the best players in the world to develop the platform for elite athletes and future generations of female golfers.
Jennis helps women understand the different hormonal phases of their unique menstrual cycles and uses this intelligence to help them make informed decisions on how they train, fuel, recover and ultimately perform throughout their cycle.
Dame Jess Ennis-Hill commented: “I’m really excited to be working with the Ladies European Tour on the new LET Performance Institute, with the valued support of the R&A.
“We’re all different, so understanding how fluctuations in hormones and symptoms impacts our sleep, mood, energy and performance trends at a personal level is truly game-changing.
“In elite sport, when you’re at the top of your game, you want to find small areas where you can make a positive change. My mission is for this collaboration to give our golfers personalised and unique data points and storytelling that make all the difference in competition.
“The data from Jennis, which was built in collaboration with leading sports physiologists, will help players and their practitioners make marginal gains by understanding what’s happening physiologically at a very individualised level. Through innovative research we will also be able to learn from the experiences and cycles of our golfers to better understand what impact the hormonal changes have on golf performance at a group and individual level, allowing us to truly tailor the information and experience for the athletes of this truly incredible sport.”
Speaking about reaching peak performance, LET golfer Annabel Dimmock commented: “As players, we are continually learning about the importance of sports science and looking for those marginal gains which can improve our performance and results. Elite players are placing more emphasis on physical preparation and recovery for the demands of the game of golf, to increase distance and power, to reduce the risk of injury and illness and to transfer to technical ability in the movement of the golf swing. This is increasingly being recognised as a determining performance factor. Continued education and enhanced support in these areas will undoubtedly help the LET players to put better strategies in place.”
Chief Development Officer of The R&A, Phil Anderton commented, “The R&A is committed to developing golf at every level and we are delighted to support the LET on this high performance initiative. The professional game is the shop window to our sport, the more we can continue to support the development of the women athletes, the more they will continue to inspire the next generation of golfers.”
The LET Performance Institute is committed to its core values and vision of enhancing opportunities and performance for women in elite sports. As part of this mission, the institute proudly introduces a dedicated platform to support women working in health and performance roles. Through this initiative, the LET Performance Institute aims to foster gender equality and empower women professionals, enabling them to excel and make a significant impact in the elite sports industry.
The LET also recently announced a new partnership with Eleiko, who have become the LET’s official fitness equipment supplier. Eleiko have supplied the LET players with travel kits and will be delivering fitness equipment to the LET physiotherapy team at selected events throughout the year.
